


Sweet Home Storybrooke

by justanoutlaw



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Sweet Home Alabama Fusion, Angst, Exes, F/M, Minor Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Minor Prince Charming | David Nolan/Snow White | Mary Margaret Blanchard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:08:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24812086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justanoutlaw/pseuds/justanoutlaw
Summary: Emma Swan is on top of the world. A job promotion, a great group of friends and she was just proposed to by her boyfriend. There’s only one problem, she has to head back home to Storybrooke, Maine in order to tie up one loose end. Will Neal give her the divorce she’s been asking 7 years for? Or will she realize by being home all of what she gave up when she ran away?
Relationships: Baelfire | Neal Cassidy/Emma Swan
Comments: 10
Kudos: 10





	Sweet Home Storybrooke

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the movie Sweet Home Alabama with a few changes. The main ship of this fic is Swanfire, with some minor Snowing, Rumbelle and OQ. One thing I will say is I plan on keeping up the theme of “love triangles don’t have to be evil” so Emma’s other guy isn’t bad. He’s just that, another guy. I have also included Neal  
> Charming in this fic (though not in this chapter), and his name is Benjamin since Neal Cassidy\Gold is in the fic.
> 
> Feel free to ask me or the characters questions on Twitter/Tumblr/CuriousCat: justanoutlawfic.

Tan splashed against a dark navy blue backdrop. The figure twisting in every direction. Water droplets pouring down around it.

"What is it?" Lily asks, her brows furrowing.

Emma pushes her hair back. "It's what happens when lightening hits sand."

A laugh escapes August's lips. "She's pulling your leg."

"No," Emma rolls her eyes. "I've seen it."

Too hot to touch, but a marvel to stare at. Her favorite childhood memory, One that makes her smile. Running through the pouring rain, her plaid shirt sticking to her skin. Her blonde hair frizzing.

His fingers lacing through hers.

She shakes the thought out of her head.

"Have you guys seen this one?" She leads them over to the painting beside it. "It's of the beach where I grew up."

While her friends are distracted, Emma allows herself to look back at _Lightening_. She painted it after the same dream, the one she had at least once a month. Knowing she had a show coming up about "small town charm", she found a way to fit it in. She thought it'd help the memory subside, but now it's all she can think about.

_Thunder clapped as they ran down the sand, Emma ahead of him._

" _Answer me!" Neal called out._

" _No!"_

" _No, you won't marry me, or no you won't answer?"_

" _Neal, I'm 10! I can't marry you!"_

_She stopped by the jungle gym in the middle of the beach, leaning against it to catch her breath. His lips turned upwards into that crooked smile. Rain fell quickly, waves crashing against the shore. Their parents would kill them for being at the beach in the middle of a storm, they were supposed to be at Granny's but wanted to chase the lightening instead. What her mom and his dad didn't know, wouldn't kill them._

_Halfway through running around, Neal thought it'd be a great idea to ask if she'd marry him._

_Neal opened his mouth to speak when the lightening shone brighter than before. A scream escaped Emma's lips and she pulled him closer behind the jungle gym. They watched in amazement as the lightening struck the sand just feet away from them. Had they kept running, it could've been them. Emma's breathing quickened and she looked up at Neal, who took her hand._

_They waited a couple of minutes before stepping forward. A hole in the sand showed the product of the destruction. Beautiful, spiky, smoke rising despite the rain that fell heavily. Emma stares at it in awe. She reached down, only to have Neal pull her back._

" _Do you want to burn yourself?"_

" _Maybe I do."_

_A laugh escaped his lips. "So…will you marry me now that we almost died?"_

_Emma turned to him, looking up into his big brown eyes. His skin was softer because of the rain, his curls drooping. "Why do you want to marry me?"_

" _So I can kiss you anytime I want."_

_He leaned in, kissing her as another roll of thunder clapped in the distance._

Emma wished more than anything that you could erase a memory. Remembering the good times with Neal, only made the bad times hurt more.

"There's my girl!"

She turns and can't help but smile as Merle walks in her direction. Nearly 6 feet tall, a huge grin on his face and wearing a beautifully tailored designer suit, there's no doubting that he's the most handsome man in the room. He wraps his arms around her waist and press a kiss to her.

"You made it," she says.

"Of course I did," he replies. "It's your big night. Where else would I be? You look beautiful, by the way."

Emma grins, smoothing down her little black dress before leaning into him. She met Merle 3 years ago when the city hired her to do a mural for Central Park. As the mayor's son, he had been at the unveiling. A cup of coffee to celebrate her success lead to dinner followed by lunch at his office on the Upper East Side. After a fun night at a karaoke bar with some of his friends, the two ended up in bed together and became a committed couple. He was a lawyer, who supported her passions and career. While Emma had a steady job in graphic arts, her true passion remained in painting. She managed to get shows every once in awhile, like this one. Small, a few paintings in the corner of a Soho bar but it was a fun event nonetheless.

"Anyone interested yet?" Merle asks.

"Lily wants to buy the one of the dragon coming out of the clock tower," Emma says, gesturing to it. "So that's nice, but I don't know if it counts as a sale. Some other customers have lingered, but…"

"Excuse me," a woman with pale blonde, almost white hair, interrupts. "I love that lightening picture. How much for it?"

Merle grins, pulling away. "Do your thing, love."

The woman buys Lightening and a few other people show interest in some others. All in all, Emma sells four paintings not including the one that Lily buys. She has to pay the bar and it's not going to make her career, but it's something at the very least.

The five of them gather at their own favorite bar, a Bud in front of Emma. August pushes his way out of the booth to flirt with a blonde on the dance floor while Lily spots a cute girl to buy a drink for. Emma pops a peanut into her mouth, before sipping her beer to savor the salty treat and the cool alcohol.

"I'm so proud of you," Merle says, his voice barely loud enough to be heard above the loud bar.

Emma grins. "It wasn't a huge art show."

"Still, one day it will be." He kisses her cheek, the taste of his whiskey on his breath. "I love you, Emma, more than you know. And I don't want to go another day without you in my life."

Emma tilts her head, her eyes slowly widening as Merle removes a black box from his jacket pocket. She knows she should reach over and stop him, but his fingers remove the lid of the box, revealing the diamond that sits between two rubies on top of a silver band.

"Will you marry me, Emma?"

His eyes are looking at her so lovingly, happily. Her stomach flip flops. She knows the answer should be yes. She wants it to be yes.

She also knows all the reasons it should be know. Reasons that Merle doesn't know. Reasons her best friends don't even know.

"Merle," she whispers.

"I know we haven't discussed this much," he says. "But I've wanted it for a long time. Ever since I saw you in that karaoke bar, terribly belting out Wannabe." A small smile tugs on her lips. "Come on, Emma. What do you say?"

Her tongue pokes out of her mouth slightly, her eyes flickering from the ring to Merle. She thinks of the life she could have, the life they've been building towards for 3 years. This is the natural next step. She wants to be happy. She wants a life with him.

"Okay," she whispers. Those beautiful brown eyes light up and she feels a mix of happiness and guilt swirl her gut.

"Okay?"

"Okay," she repeats. "Let's do it. Let's get married."

His smile widens and he slides the ring onto her outstretched hand. He pulls her closer and plants a kiss to her lips. She deepens it, her eyes closing. For a moment, she allows her mind to shut out her guilt, her past and everything she knows is wrong.

Then she hears Lily's voice. "Did she say yes?"

Merlin pulls away. "She said yes!"

Lily slaps her hand on his shoulder. "Congratulations," she beams in Emma's direction. "Next round's on me."

"Thanks," Emma says. She's gonna need it.

* * *

_Welcome To Storybrooke_

Emma isn't the sure if the green sign is truly welcoming her or taunting her as she drives her yellow bug over the town line. The woodland path is quiet, no other cars in sight. Who else would bother to visit Storybrooke unless they actually had to?

She knocks an empty Dunkin Donuts cup and wrappers out of the way to get to her cell phone. She told Merle and her boss that she was going to Maine to tell her parents about the engagement, which was only half true. It'd be wrong to stop in town without seeing them, but they weren't her first stop.

A text from Lily invites her to lunch with her and August. Emma sighs and replies that she can't, explaining where she is. She gets a surprised face emoji in response but nothing more. August texts her to let him know if she needs anything, which sums up their friendship. She met August and Lily when she started college courses while working for a diner, all of them in the same math course. A study group lead to mostly goofing off, with August being the one with his shit together most of the time. He was older by a couple of years, returning to school after his father passed and determined to make him proud. Emma and Lily regarded him as a big brother. Even after they graduated and all got different jobs (Emma in graphic design, August for a publishing company and Lily going for her master's in psychology), the stayed close. They were each other's families in New York, Merle joining it when Emma met him.

Emma hasn't been inside Storybrooke for 7 years, but it's no surprise that nothing had changed. Even growing up, it took several fundraisers to get the old bridge to be restored. The sidewalks are still in need of repair, the bank's windows are being patched up by duct tape. She's glad to see the old clock above the library is moving again, that thing had been broken since long before she was born.

She drives past Gold's pawnshop, biting down memories of hiding behind the counter and looking for treasure. Dropping lunch off for Neal after he started working there when they were 14.

Exchanging her favorite necklace just a week before she left town for bus fair out.

Soon, she's off the main road and into the suburban neighborhoods. A turn onto Daffodil Lane shows her smaller houses, leading to the last one. It's still got the same white paint, though there's a fresh coat on it. The porch railing has been fixed since she last stormed down. Sunflowers, the ones they planted together, bloom at the front of the house, probably as tall as her.

Emma gets out of the car, allowing herself to adjust to the difference of the Maine air versus New York. It's crisper, no sewer smells greet her. The leaves actually have color and she can hear herself think. In just a few months time when it turns winter, snow will stick to the ground and be more than just a pretty nuisance.

She walks closer to the porch and sees him. The wrinkled, somewhat ugly bulldog she left behind all those years ago. He lays in the cool September sun, his eyes shut, snoring a bit like he always does. His fur has grayed some over the years and he's fattened a bit (no doubt due to Neal spoiling him with dog treats and table scraps), but that's her Charley.

She gnaws her bottom lip, wondering if he'd even remember her.

The door opens and Neal emerges. He's in a tight white t shirt and jeans, his hair wet, possibly from a shower. After 7 years, facial hair has crept up onto his face to stay and Emma isn't sure if she loves it or hates it. He leans down to pet Charley, awakening the dog, which gets him kisses in return.

She's missed him. Fuck. Why has she missed him so much?

She reminds herself of the end. The fighting. The words that can't be taken back. The engagement ring she took off after she pulled her bug onto the highway.

Missing Neal is a luxury she cannot afford. Not after what they've been through and not with what she has to lose.

He finally notices her and looks over. "Can I help you?" He probably doesn't recognize her and she can't blame him. It's been awhile, she straightens her hair every day for work. She barely wears her favorite red leather jacket anymore. Even mow, she's wearing a black t-shirt and matching jeans.

She clears her throat, jutting out her chin. "You can start by getting your stubborn ass down here and giving me a divorce."

When Neal wanted a dog, Emma joked why did they need one? They had him. His wide eyes, infamous pout, always made him look like a puppy when he was surprised or upset.

She's getting a good glimpse of puppy dog Neal again. Wide brown eyes, his mouth dropped open.

"Emma," he breathes.

"Yup," she pops the p.

Slowly, he walks down the steps. "You came all this way…just to ask me for a divorce?"

"Well asking you via mail wasn't doing the job! I sent you those papers five times and you never signed them."

"I was busy!"

"Busy with what? Your head up your ass?!"

Neal's eyes narrows as Charley lets out a bark.

"Look Neal, I don't want anything from you, I don't even get anything because I signed that prenup your dad insisted on," Emma says. She reaches through her open window and pulls out the Manila envelope. "I just want a divorce."

Neal blinks. "You're not even gonna ask me how I was?"

"I don't care!" Liar. "Do you care how I've been?"

"I bet you haven't even seen your parents or your brother."

Emma grins her teeth. "That's my business."

"Family is the most important thing."

Emma groans. "Neal, we all know you don't give a crap what my relationship is like with my parents. Just sign the damn papers!"

"That's not true, Emma. I really think you should go see them."

He heads back up the steps towards the house. Emma shuts her eyes and storms behind him.

"Neal, come on! It's been 7 years!"

He spins around, his hand gripped to the door. "And you can't expect everyone to just jump and do whatever the hell you want. It's not like when we were kids and you're the boss of things, Emma."

She glowers at him. "I seem to remember you loving that."

"And I seem to remember you loving a lot of things, but that changed. As you told me, plans change, people change."

He whistles and Charley jumps up, running into the house. Neal slams the door shut, leaving Emma on the porch. Her lip juts out as she throws her hands into the air. This was supposed to be a quick stop back in Storybrooke, home in New York by tomorrow.

She has a feeling she won't be seeing New York any time soon.


End file.
